Where There's Smoke
by ReadingRed
Summary: AU of Lost and Bound. Can Piper and Leo save one little Firestarter? If they can, what's to become of the little boy, and how will Wyatt adapt to having another child around the Manor?
1. There's Fire

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed

Title: Where There's Smoke

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter One: There's Fire

"Who's the kid?" Paige asked with a nod over to the boy in the corner.

"Police brought him in, they said he was found sleeping in an alley." Her boss said of the little boy.

"Runaway, maybe abandoned. Don't really know, he won't say much. His name is Oliver, other than that we've got nothing from him" Paige's boss said, filling her in on the boy's status. He looked to be about five or six years old. He reminded her a little of Wyatt. They both had wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to be wise beyond their years.

"Sometimes those little video game things help loosen them up. Billy's got one of them in the back, I'll go get it" Paige said, referring to her co-worker.

"Good" her boss said, before Paige walked away to track down the handheld video game. On her way back she passed the refrigerator where that they kept stocked with snacks for the children. She decided to get something for Oliver. Maybe it too, would help him to open up.

She sat down next to Oliver, on the long bench.

"Here you go, Oliver, I thought you might be thirsty" Paige said, handing him the juice box. Expertly, Oliver broke the plastic covering the straw and jammed it into the small hole on top of the juice box.

"Oliver, I'm Paige. I heard that you don't want to talk about us about your parents. Do you know their phone number? I'm sure they're missing you, and they want to know that you're okay" she waited for the little boy to answer and when he didn't she asked the one question she always dreaded having to ask.

"Did they hurt you?" She asked.

"No, they didn't hurt me" Oliver said. It was the first words Paige had heard him say. She was relieved that not only was he now talking, but that his parents hadn't hurt him. All too often, the answer to that question was 'yes'.

"Good, alright. But something happened" Paige said.

"I don't wanna talk about it" Oliver replied with a pout.

"I know it's hard, Oliver, but talking is how we fix..." Paige started. Before she could finish, Oliver interrupted her with a shout.

"I said I don't wanna talk about it!" As the boy yelled a trash can across the room went up in flames.

"Fire!" Paige yelled.

The office erupted into chaos and Oliver slipped out of the office in the commotion. Paige saw him leaving, so she grabbed her purse from her desk and followed him out. By the time she got into the parking lot, little Oliver was nowhere to be found. Paige knew he could've gotten far so she started looking behind all the cars in the staff parking lot. She found him hiding behind a large SUV.

"Hey" Paige said, startling the little boy. "Hey, hey, don't go, you don't have to be afraid" she said to Oliver. He didn't listen. Oliver turned on his heel and started walking away. That was when Paige used her last resort.

"I won't tell anyone I saw you start the fire"

"You saw?" Oliver asked as he stopped walking and turned around to face her. He looked so small in that moment it tore at Paige's heart. He shouldn't have to deal with powers he didn't understand.

"Yeah, but nobody else did. And I promise I won't tell. I swear I won't" Paige told him.

"I didn't mean to do it" Oliver said apologetically.

"I know, Oliver, I know" Paige said, as she tried to comfort him with mere words.

"Please don't make me go back to them. I never want to go back to my foster parents, they don't understand me" Oliver said. Not for the first time, Paige wondered how old the boy was. He was incredibly well spoken for a five year old, so she guessed that he was closer to six, if not seven.

"I know a place where I can take you where you'll be safe. But you've gotta trust me, okay?" Paige offered.

Oliver nodded and took her outstretched hand in his own. Paige decided that Orbing with him, while faster, would most likely just scare him. She decided instead that they would take her car.

The drive back to the Manor was quiet, almost unnervingly so. Oliver sat in a booster seat in the back of Paige's car and said nothing for the entire twenty minute drive across town.

When they got to the Manor, Paige had offered him her hand to hold like earlier, but he refused. Together they walked up to the front door and went right him. Oliver looked at the house in wonder, taking in everything. Paige didn't think it was all that special but she could see how a kid would be impressed with it.

Piper came into the foyer from the kitchen with Wyatt on her hip and stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of Oliver. The words she had planned to say to Paige were replaced with a different set.

"Hello" she said to the boy. "Who're you?" Piper asked. Granted, it wasn't the most eloquent turn of phrase, but she found it the most helpful when wanting to find out who a particular person was.

"Oliver" he answered with a shy smile.

"Well Oliver. I'm Piper, and this is Wyatt. How about you and he go into the family room and play with some toys. He'll show you his trains if you want" Piper offered.

"Like Thomas?" Oliver asked. Like any mother of a young boy, Piper knew immediately who Oliver was referring to.

"Exactly like Thomas" Piper said. She set Wyatt down on his feet and told him "go show Oliver your trains".

Wyatt raced over to Oliver and took his hand, and together the two boys left to go play.

"Okay, now who is he?" Piper questioned her sister.

"Well he's Oliver" Paige said noncommittally. With an arched eyebrow and a stern face, Piper got Paige to expand on her answer.

"Apparently he's a runaway. I was talking to him and work, and when he got upset, he started a trashcan on fire" Paige said.

"Paige! You're telling me I just sent my three year old off hand in hand with a five year old pyro?" Piper exclaimed.

"No, it wasn't like he flicked a match and started the fire. We were talking; he got upset, and the fire, _started._" Paige said enunciating the word started. "I think he might be a witch, so when he ran off I offered to let him stay here while we figure things out. Witch or not, he's an innocent"


	2. There's Power

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed

Title: Where There's Smoke

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Two: There's Power

The boys had been playing nicely for about an hour when the yelling started.

"No!" Wyatt yelled, seconds later there was a thump and just after that a cry for help. Piper, Leo, and Paige rushed into the family room to see the train table on fire. Paige was the first to react.

"Water" she said, summoning it from a vase on the mantle. With a gesture of her hand the water flew from her hand to the table, drenching it and putting out the flames.

Oliver was hiding behind the sofa and hadn't seen how the fire was put out. Wyatt was standing a safe distance away, clutching a toy train in his small hand.

"Wyatt come to mama" Piper told her son. Wyatt immediately, she picked him up and handed him to his father. "It's time for his nap anyway. I'll talk to Oliver and find out what happened."

Leo nodded and he and Wyatt left.

"You want me to stay?" Paige asked.

"No, I've got it" Piper answered.

"Here, you might need this" she said, pulling the Game Boy out of her purse on the counter. "I got it for him at work, but he didn't get a chance to play it. Maybe it'll keep him occupied" Paige said before leaving the room.

"Oliver" Piper said as she crossed the room to where the boy was hiding. "Oliver, why don't you come out and talk to me. I need to find out what happened."

After a few minutes of coaxing, Oliver crawled out from behind the sofa and looked up at Piper.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to" he told her.

"It's okay. Just tell me what happened" Piper said, pulling the boy onto her lap. Oliver tensed up the moment he came in contact with Piper. She let the boy slide himself to the floor next to her, instead of sitting on her lap.

"Oliver, did Wyatt do something" Piper asked. Oliver didn't respond.

"I know something must've upset you, it's okay. You can tell me what happened. I won't be mad. I promise" Piper said.

Oliver wouldn't make eye contact with her anymore. Finally after a few more moments, Oliver started to explain.

"We were playing trains and I picked up Thomas, but Wyatt wanted him, so when I didn't give it back he threw Henry at me and it hit my head and I got mad and then the fire started. I didn't mean too, I promise" Oliver said.

"Alright, well the fires out now, and Wyatt went up stairs with his dad to take a nap. Why don't you play with this while I go talk to my sister? Okay?" Piper said, handing Oliver the video game.

Oliver nodded and took the game from her and sat on the sofa. Satisfied that he would be okay, she left him to go find Paige and Leo.

She tracked them down in the kitchen, gathered around the center island along with Phoebe.

"How's it going?" Paige asked, when Piper entered the kitchen.

"Not so good. He's barely making eye contact, not really speaking. He's just really afraid. It took me nearly five minutes to get him to come out from behind the sofa" Piper said.

"Afraid of what?" Leo asked.

"Himself, his powers. He's showing all the signs of a kid who's never received sustained affection" Piper said

"Well, that and being shuffled in and out of foster homes doesn't help either" Paige said, remembering when Oliver had begged her not to send him back to his foster parents.

"No, and I get the sense that he has always felt like an outsider and a bit of a freak and now he's found out that in some ways he kind of is" Piper added.

"Which is why it could make sense for us to bind his powers" Leo said. He and Piper had been fighting for days over the issue of binding powers. Wyatt had always been very gifted and now that he was getting older, his powers were coming out in full force. Leo thought that it would be best to bind them. Piper was dead set against it.

"Yeah, maybe we could take off one of his legs at the same time because they're both part of him" Piper argued.

"It's not the same thing, Piper. Oliver's powers could be a danger to himself and to others" Leo said. Substitute the name Oliver for the name Wyatt, and it was the same argument they'd been at for days.

"You know what? Don't make our issues his issues. I think you need to give him a chance to learn how to control it. Maybe that's why we met him. To teach him, guide him, love him" Piper said.

"Love him?" Leo asked.

"Why not? He's a magical child. Letting him continue to go from foster home to foster home, with parents who couldn't possibly understand what he's going through. That's dangerous" Piper said.

"We can talk about this later. This isn't something we can just decide on a whim" Leo said.

"Well in the mean time, we can feed him" Phoebe said pulling a tray of cookies out from the oven.

"Woah, Phoebe, you went all out" Paige said.

"Oh, well, you know me. Any excuse to spend a little time in the kitchen" Phoebe said.

"I do know you and that's just not true" Piper said sarcastically.

"Oh, shut it you" Phoebe said.

"Alright, how about I take the cookies to the kid, maybe food will help him open up" Piper said, taking a few cookies off the tray and putting them onto a plate.

"Well the sooner we get to him the better 'cause last time I checked kidnapping is still illegal. I'm gonna get back to work, you guys call me later" Paige said before leaving out the back door.

Piper left Phoebe and Leo in the kitchen and went back to the family room. Oliver was exactly where she'd left him.

"My sister made some cookies, do you want some?" She asked. Oliver didn't react to her question, his focus was completely on the video game.

"Mm, I don't blame you, it could be kinda dicey, she's not really a great cook" she said as she set the plate down on the coffee table. "Why don't you try one? So, you know, her feelings don't get hurt."

Oliver couldn't keep the smile off his face as he took a cookie off the plate. When he took a bite, the smile spread even further.

"Can I have another?" he asked with a mouthful of cookie.

"Help yourself" she said and Oliver took another cookie.

"You know, it's probably hard to believe but something amazing has happened to you. You've been given a gift. And as strange as it sounds, you're not alone; I know exactly what you're going through" Piper said as Oliver ate.

"Yeah, right, you start fires too" Oliver said. Were kids this young supposed to be that sarcastic? Piper thought to herself.

"Not exactly. But I do know what it's like to possess a power you can't control. That you want so desperately to be normal but it's just not an option. And because there aren't any options sometimes you get so angry that you wanna..." Piper let her sentence drag off as took the opportunity to blow up the vase Paige had got the water from earlier.

"Whoa, what was that? What did you just do?" Oliver said, amazed.

"I proved that I know what you're going through" Piper told him.

"But how did you do that?" Oliver asked.

"Pretty much the same way you do. I've just learned how to focus my emotions and control it" Piper explained.

"I wish I could control mine. Then I could be around people" Oliver said.

"Is that why you ran away? Because you were afraid you might hurt someone?" She had expected as much, but she needed to hear it from him.

"I was scared. I set fire to the living room couch. I didn't mean to but my foster mum was yelling at me that I was good for nothing and it made me so mad I just…" Oliver's sentence was cut off suddenly. It looked like he was getting a headache judging by the way the little boy clutched his head.

Across the room a chair caught on fire.

"Whoa" Piper said. She'd seen the fire on the table earlier, but she hadn't been in the room when it had happened. Seeing it happen right in front of her was something else. Oliver's power was impressive.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry" Oliver said near tears.

"It's okay, in this house it's okay" Piper said as she froze the fire. "I can also freeze things."

"That's cool" Oliver raved.

"Leo? Could you get me some water?" Piper called to her husband. As they waited for Leo to bring water, Piper thought to herself 'this is going to be one interesting day'.


	3. There's Confusion

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed

Title: Where There's Smoke

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Three: There's Confusion

Wyatt had woken up from his nap and he was eager to play with Oliver again. The more than anything told the sisters and Leo that they had nothing to fear from the little fireball. Oliver and Wyatt were back in the family room, again playing with the trains. This time though, they were both told to share.

Phoebe was on her way upstairs when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it" she volunteered. She opened the door to find two unfamiliar middle age adults standing on the doorstep.

"Hello" she said. The question of who they were, clear in her voice.

"Hi" the woman said.

"Hi" Phoebe replied, this time dragging the word out a bit, making it even more clear that she expected some sort of explanation of who these people were.

"Hi, we're looking for our son, Oliver. Is he here by any chance?" the man said, looking down a long crooked nose at Phoebe.

"You betcha. Come on in" she said, pushing the door open further for them to enter. As they passed through the door way, Piper made her presence known by stepping further into the foyer and holding out a hand, palm out in a 'stop' gesture.

"Wait, how did you know he was here?" Piper questioned the couple. Something about this situation just didn't feel right to her.

"Maternal instinct?" the other woman said. Before Piper could even scoff the man knocked her to the ground with some unseen force.

"Piper!" Oliver yelled. He had entered the room, just in time to see his foster father knock Piper down.

"I got him" the man told his partner as he made his way to Oliver.

Just then Piper got to her feet, getting between the man and the little boy. The woman threw an energy ball at Piper, but it missed and blew up a window instead. She was gearing up to toss another one when Oliver took action.

"Leave them alone!" the little boy yelled.

"Nobody is keeping us from collecting our bounty" the former foster father said.

"No, stop!" he yelled again.

"Shut up" his foster mother yelled.

It was the last straw for Oliver, and his anger got the best of him. Before his eyes, the two demons burst into flame. Oliver looked on in horror at what he had done.

"I didn't mean to" he said as he looked over to Piper.

"Oliver, you don't have to explain. We were there, we saw what happened" Piper said.

"I thought I was gonna hurt someone. And then I did" the boy moaned.

"You did what you had to do to keep everyone safe" Piper told him.

Oliver didn't look convinced. "I did a bad thing" he said.

Piper immediately went into mother-hen-mode and pulled Oliver into a gentle hug. "Oliver" she said brushing back his shaggy hair from his forehead. "Oliver, listen to me. You didn't do a bad thing. Those were very bad people and they were gonna hurt us, you protected us."

Oliver didn't look convinced so Piper decided to try something else. "Come on, I wanna show you something. Come on, it's okay" she said taking his hand and pulling him toward the staircase.

She wanted to show him the Book of Shadows. Leo, with Wyatt in his arms followed close behind. Piper pulled the book of its home and motioned for Oliver to follow her to the small sofa that was housed in the attic.

"A book?" Oliver asked, arching one small eyebrow.

Piper smiled at the five year old.** "**Not just any book, it's a magical one. Can I trust you?"

"Sure. Yeah." Oliver said, trying his best not to act as excited as he really was.

"Okay, let's find out who those people really were" Piper said as she flipped through this Book.

"My foster parents?" Oliver asked.

"They weren't really your foster parents, Oliver. They were…" Leo said, pausing for Piper to fill in the blank with the correct demon.

"Demonic bounty hunters" she said, reading from the Book of Shadows. "Driven by greed, these heartless low level demons will stop at nothing to collect their bounty."

It was a hard truth for little Oliver to hear, but he seemed to take it well.

"So if they're bad, does that mean that I didn't do anything bad?" Oliver asked, repeating Piper's earlier statement.

"That's right" Leo confirmed.

"Is there anything about me in there?" Oliver asked timidly.

"Actually I think there is" Piper said flipping a few pages backward. "Here it is. Do you want to read it?"

"I can't read all that good yet. I get my letters mixed up" Oliver said looking down at his hands.

"It's okay, Oliver" Piper said, pulling the boy a little closer so he could see the book better. "I'll read it for you, and you can follow along okay?" Oliver nodded and Piper began.

"A Firestarter. An extremely rare and coveted magical creature" Piper read.

"What does coveted mean?" Oliver interrupted.

Piper thought of how to put it in a way he would understand,** "**It means highly desirable, wanted."

"I'm wanted?" he asked eagerly.

"Very much so" Piper said smiling. "Their power is linked to their emotions. It first manifests itself in early childhood. They're often trained to be the body guards of the Source"

Piper looked up at Leo when she read that. She could tell he was just as surprised as she was.

"What's the Source?" Oliver asked, bringing them both back to reality.

"A really, really bad guy" Piper said, closing the book and pulling Oliver onto her lap. This time, the boy didn't shy away. Instead he sank comfortably into her embrace.

"Which means he's probably resurfacing if the bounty hunters are after Oliver" Leo said as he connected the dots.

"So Ludlow must be a bounty hunter too then" Oliver added.

Piper looked down at the boy in her lap.** "**Who's Ludlow?" she asked.

"Some guy who runs some kind of academy. My demon parents were gonna send me there" Oliver said, before smiling and adding, "but now I don't gotta go because I'm here with you guys."

Piper was happy that Oliver felt safe with her and Leo, but she worried that he would get too attached and then be devastated at their separation.

"They must've wanted to send you there to train. To serve the Source" Leo explained, ignoring Oliver's statement for the time.

Oliver's reaction shocked them,** "**so then, I am bad" he said.

"Why do you say that?" Piper asked, wanting to understand his reasoning.

"Well, if I'm supposed to use my powers to protect somebody bad..." Oliver said, letting his sentence drag off at the end. He was so close to tears it broke Piper's hear to see.

"No, but that's not how powers work. They're not good or bad by themselves, it's how we use them" Piper said. Oliver seemed calmed by her words. She wiped the few tears that had fallen away from his face.

"Oliver, why don't you and Wyatt play while I talk to Piper" Leo said. He put Wyatt down and immediately the little boy ran to the box of toys that were kept in the attic for him. Oliver looked up at Piper for confirmation and at her encouraging nod, he joined Wyatt.

Leo offered a hand to Piper and she took it, not that she needed help getting up, she just wanted to hold her husband's hand. Together they walked across the attic, putting a little more room between the boys and them.

"See, with a little guidance he's already on the road to acceptance and control" Piper said when they stopped walking.

Leo had to stop himself from rolling his eyes**. "**That's great, but I think we have another problem. I figured out how the bounty hunters found out where Oliver is. They tracked his powers" Leo said in a low voice.

Piper's face paled and she shot a quick look over to Oliver and Wyatt.** "**You mean when he blew up the chair and set fire to the table?"

"Yeah, and then he vanquished them..." Leo trailed off.

"So there may be more bounty hunters on the way" Piper said, coming to the same conclusion.

Just as the words came out of her mouth a demon shimmered into the attic. The bounty hunter immediately formed an energy ball, but kept it in his hand.

"Where's the firestarter? he growled. Piper looked over to the boys and saw that Wyatt had formed his shield around Oliver and himself.

"The boy, now!" the demon yelled. With a smile, Piper vanquished the bounty hunter. No one could come into her house and make her give up an innocent. Wyatt let the force field drop and both boys ran to the adults. Piper picked up Wyatt and Leo hugged Oliver back when the little boy wrapped his small arms around Leo's legs.

"Are you boys okay?" Piper asked, switching her gaze from Wyatt to Oliver, and then back to Wyatt.

"We're fine, we just don't like those demons that keep showing up" Oliver answered for the both of them. Wyatt nodded his agreement.

Piper checked the boys again and when she was satisfied she set Wyatt back on his feet. "Okay" she said to both boys. "You guys finish playing; Leo and I need to finish our talk."

The boys were both over the trauma of the attack and ran back to their games.

"That was another bounty hunter, which means more are just gonna keep coming until Ludlow gets Oliver. Unless we get Ludlow first" Leo said.

"We can pose as bounty hunters, say that we have Oliver and we can gain access to Ludlow and vanquish him" Piper said before adding to her plan. "But he's gotta be pretty powerful which means we might need the power of three. We'll need to bring Ludlow back here just in case, and call Paige and tell her to get her butt back here as soon as possible. Phoebe can write the spell while we're gone".

"Sounds like a plan. Do you think Oliver and Wyatt will be okay here while we're gone?" Leo asked.

"Well, Phoebe will be here with them and Paige will be here soon. Besides, I think together they can handle pretty much anything a demon can throw at them. You saw how Oliver took on those bounty hunters, and we both know Wyatt can keep himself safe" Piper said.

Leo smiled as he looked at the boys. Piper was right of course, it was just difficult for a parent not to worry, even if they knew it wasn't necessary. Leo knew that the entire time they'd be gone, Piper would be worrying about the boys, she just liked to put up a strong front. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. They might argue, but when it came down to it, Piper and Leo were in it for the long haul.

**AN: Someone mentioned in a review that Wyatt wasn't around in Lost and Bound and so I just want to point out that this is a AU… kinda. Most is canon except for the timing, like she pointed out Wyatt wasn't alive yet but obviously he is in this story. It isn't stated explicitly in this story but I've brought the Lost and Bound storyline up, not had Wyatt born earlier. It won't make a real difference in this story but if I write the sequel, it will for what I have planned for that story. Also, Phoebe was still with Cole in Lost and Bound but because I've brought the basic story line from Lost and Bound, which aired in season 4, into season 7 he's long gone. I can't think of any other glaring differences to mention but if they're there I'm sure someone will point it out.**

**I've already written through chapter 8 so the more reviews I get the faster I'll post the chapters I've got. **


	4. There's Surprises

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed

Title: Where There's Smoke

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Four: There's Surprises

While they were waiting for Paige to get home Piper and Leo sat watching the boys play. Wyatt was leaning up against Oliver, practically sitting on the other boys lap as he watched Oliver play a video game.

"He looks so normal" Leo remarked, commenting both on the boys unusual past and his powers.

"He is normal Leo… at least as normal as any of us are" Piper commenting in a low voice, not wanting the boys to overhear them.

"I guess you're right. Witches and Angels don't exactly fit the mold for the typical American family" Leo said with a laugh, turning his gaze away from Piper and back to the boys.

"Are you sure we should let him play those games? Aren't they kind of violent?" he asked.

"Darn it" Oliver said. The little boy was staring intently down at his game. His grip on the toy tightening and his small hands started to shake. Piper prepared herself to freeze whatever Oliver accidentally set on fire.

It was unnecessary though, before their eyes Oliver started to calm himself. The little boy took in deep breaths of air and closed his eyes. After a few seconds he was back to normal and playing the game as if nothing had happened.

"Looks like he's learning to handle his power" Leo remarked with a smile.

"He wouldn't been given them if he couldn't" Piper said taking Leo's hand in hers.

"Is that what you think of you and your sisters?" Leo inquired.

Piper stilled for a moment as she thought.** "**I don't know, maybe" she said. "All I do know is that when we finally got our powers back, it felt like we were scrambling to catch up. And I can't help but think if we had our powers from day one we would have been more prepared. Things would have turned out different" she said with an unreadable look. It was times like these Leo wished he could read her mind. He decided to take a leap and guess what she was actually saying.

"Prue would still be alive?" he asked. Piper let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"And we would be on our way to having a bigger family as opposed to just talking about it. Maybe it wouldn't even be an issue whether or not to bind Wyatt's powers. We'd know that to let him keep them was right" Piper said quietly.

"Life would be perfect" Leo added.

"Not perfect, just easier" Piper corrected.

Before he could add any more to the conversation they heard the front door open. Piper shifted her gaze to the boys and then stood and walked to the foyer. When she saw who it was she relaxed.

"Good, Paige, you're home" she said.

"Yeah, but not for long, I have to go back to work. Now you didn't say much on the phone. What was so important that you needed me to come home?" Paige asked as she sat her purse down on the small table by the door.

"There are bounty hunters after Oliver. We've gotta get to Ludlow before any of them can get him" Piper said.

"They're after a five year old kid?" Phoebe asked as she made her way down the stairs and into the entrance way.

"Yeah, apparently the Source uses Firestarters like Oliver as personal body guards. Leo and I are going to pose as bounty hunters and we're going to take down Ludlow. We need you to write a spell."

"Uh, okay. Which spell?" Phoebe asked.

"A power of three spell, in case Leo and I have no choice but to lure Ludlow back here. Paige we need you to stick around and watch the boys while we're gone and to be here if we need the power of three" Piper said.

Paige nodded and left to go talk to the boys, while Phoebe left to go find a pad of paper and pen to write the spell.

"We'll need some proof for Ludlow that we actually have Oliver" Leo told Piper after her sisters left.

"We're gonna take his jacket" Piper said.

"Why can't I come with you?" Oliver asked surprising both Piper and Leo with his presence.

Piper looked at the little boy. He was so small and yet so brave. He had been through so much in his young life and here he was willing to go through even more.** "**Because it's too dangerous" Piper said. He might be willing to put himself in danger, but she wasn't. This little boy already had a special place in her heart and she wasn't going to do anything to put him in a situation where he might be hurt.

"But I can protect myself. Besides, I helped you out before didn't I?" he asked coming closer and taking her hand.

"This is different" Piper said looking down at the small boy.

"Oliver we need you to keep Wyatt company while we're gone. Will you do that for us?" Leo asked.

Oliver nodded and Leo reached out and ruffled his hair.** "**Okay, everyone, be ready, be prepared, no surprises" Leo said as Oliver backed away.

Just as he started to Orb out he felt an extra weight on his back. He knew at once what it meant, but by then it was too late. There was a stowaway on their Orb and there was nothing he could do about it.

**AN: Another reviewer pointed out a few things I'd forgotten to mention. In Lost and Bound Oliver's name was Tyler. I changed it because I wanted to, no other reason than that. I also changed his age from 10 to 5 because I wanted him to be closer in age to Wyatt to make some aspects of this story flow better. **


	5. There's Disaster

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed

Title: Where There's Smoke

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Five: There's Disaster

"Hey! What happened?" Piper asked as they came out of the Orb and Oliver was standing with them.

"He jumped the Orb" Leo explained looking between Piper and Oliver.

Piper frowned at the five year old and shook her head.** "**Dude, you are so going back right now!"

Leo reached for Oliver and just as he was about to Orb away, five demons appeared before them. The demons surrounded the small group. Three in front of them, standing between them and the rod iron fence that surrounded the large building that housed Ludlow's Academy, and two demons were behind them keeping them from running away on foot.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the demon directly in front of them asked.

Leo chanced a glance at Piper before answering.** "**We, ah, got lost" he stammered out.

"The Academy is protected by charms which means you can't find the place unless you're looking for it. Kill them" he said to the other demons. At once the four others sparked energy balls to the ready.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa" Piper said throwing her hands up in what appeared to be a defensive manner. Instead of surrendering she froze the demons.

"Let's get out of here" Leo said.

"Not going" Oliver said obstinately.

You wanna bet?" Piper asked rhetorically. As she reached out for Oliver the boy ran for the gate. "Hey, I said no" Piper said as they followed Oliver.

Oliver stopped and turned around.

"No! Listen to me. They don't know I'm a Firestarter yet right? I bet that once they do, they'll take us right to Ludlow. Isn't that what we want?" he asked.

"No, not at your expense. And I'm not gonna let you go in there" Piper said refuting his logic. This boy was way too smart to be five.

"And I don't wanna spend the rest of my life with bad guys chasing me" ah and there it was, Piper thought to herself. The reason Oliver seemed old for his age at times was that he'd been through experiences that forced him to act older than he really was.

Leo didn't want to admit it but it hadto be said.** "**He's right Piper. Wherever we take him, they'll eventually find him."

"Yeah, but if something happens to him..." Piper said reluctantly.

Oliver looked up at her with a smile. "They won't hurt me, remember? I'm coveted."

"If he tags along, it might double your chances of getting Ludlow here and not having to go home" Leo said.

"I'd like to do something good for once" Oliver said placing his small hand in Piper's.

"Alright, but you stay next to me. And if anything goes wrong we are out of there" she said, holding tighter to his hand.

"Okay" Oliver said with a smile.

Piper sighed and said "this better work." Piper, Leo, and Oliver were now standing on the other side of the three demons that had been in front of them. When Piper unfroze them, all five demons let their energy balls fly, taking out their teammates in the process.

"Hi" Piper said from behind the leader, one of the two demons who had survived the friendly fire.

"How'd you..." he started to ask before she cut him off.

"We're bounty hunters, we need to see Ludlow" she said with a smirk.

The tall demon looked down at Oliver who was still holding tight to Piper's hand. "Who's the kid?" he asked.

"I'm not a kid," Oliver said dropping Piper's hand. "I'm a Firestarter" he said with a proud grin.

"So you gonna let us in or not?" Leo asked drawing the demon's attention away from Piper and Oliver and to himself instead.

"What's the password?" the demon asked.

"Password?" Leo asked looking at Piper blankly.** "**Uh..."

Piper decided to act on instinct. She blew up the second demon, leaving just one demon from the original five still standing.

"That was it. You're in" he said with a grin before waving a hand at the gate and opening it.

The demon gatekeeper led them inside and through a series of dark corridors.

"So we're gonna try to take him out, right?" Oliver whispered.

"Shh" Leo said.

"Yes" Piper answered at the same time.

Oliver looked at Piper, then Leo, then switched his gaze back to Piper.** "**What if I can't, I mean, I have to get angry for my power to work don't I?" he asked quietly.

"So?" Piper asked, not understanding where the little boy was going.

"So what if I'm just scared instead? What if it doesn't work?" Oliver asked, for the first time showing some signs of fear.

They finally reached the end of the hall and stopped in front of a large wood door.

"Just walk through that door" the demon said motioning to the door in front of them.

Leo raised an eyebrow and asked "through the door?"

The demon shook his head exasperatedly, "yes, through the door".

Leo nodded and walked right _through_ the door, followed quickly by Oliver and then Piper. "Where is he?" Leo asked when Piper made her way through the door.

Piper glanced around the office "Ludlow!" she bellowed.

At once the demon appeared seated behind the desk in front of them. "So, you brought the alleged Firestarter. You've given us quite the run around, haven't you boy?" Ludlow asked looking at Oliver.

The little boy looked down at his feet. "I said haven't you boy?" Ludlow asked again in a raised voice.

"Yes" Oliver said meekly.

Ludlow grinned.** "**Yes what?" he prompted.

"Yes sir" Oliver replied.

Ludlow looked at Piper and Leo.** "**No one teaches manners anymore" he said with a shake of his head.

"About our payment, see we don't want any surprises" Piper said as she tried to freeze the demon."Yeah, 'cause we hate surprises" she repeated as she tried again to freeze Ludlow.

Ludlow stood from behind the desk and Piper tried yet again to freeze him.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he came from around the back of the desk. "What, are you afraid that I'll grab the boy and stiff you? If the child is a Firestarter you'll get your reward. If he's not, you'll all die" he said with a smile.

Leo smirked and tried to act the part of a bounty hunter, proud of his catch.** "**Well, Oliver is a Firestarter so that won't be an issue" he said.

"Prove it" Ludlow taunted.

Piper looked at Oliver and said,** "**go ahead. Give him everything you got" hoping he'd get the message.

Oliver balled his fists and his face took on a redish tint as his anger welled up inside the small boy.

"What, not even a flicker?" Ludlow asked after nothing happened.

Piper raised a hand, palm outward saying "okay, he's just a little scared".

Ludlow looked at Oliver and smiled evilly at the small child.** "**Oh, that's ridiculous. Don't be scared, boy. You're closing in on one of the most important moment of your life. Prove what you are and you'll meet the Source. The most powerful evil that exists in the universe."

"Yeah, okay, see, that's not helping" Piper said to Ludlow, pointing out the obvious.

"Do it" Ludlow ordered.

"He's just a kid" Piper reasoned.

Ludlow stared down at Oliver, "do it, boy" he ordered again.

"I mean it, lay off of him" Piper said raising her voice to match Ludlow's.

"Insolent! How dare you!" Ludlow said becoming enraged.

"No!" Oliver yelled, getting mad, this time with no fear. Before their eyes Ludlow burst into flames. Through the flame came laughter. After a few moments the flames died down and Ludlow stood before them, unharmed.

"Excellent! Well done" he raved. Ludlow raised his arms and frost shot out of his hands and coated the boy from head to foot. After he was covered he fell to the floor unconscious.

"What did you do to him?" Piper asked when she realized their cover hadn't been blown.

"Just a precaution until the Source arrives" Ludlow said with a grin before adding, "to kill him and steal his power".

Piper couldn't keep the shock from showing on her face. "But..." she said.

"Your bounty's outside" Ludlow informed them as he flicked his hands sending them flying backwards through the door, down the hall, and out of the gate.

"Leo, hurry, go get him!" Piper yelled.

Leo Orbed out, but just seconds later he fell to the ground in front of her.

"It's the force shield, I can't Orb through it" he said as he stood. "Try blowing it up."

Piper nodded and focused all her energy on destroying the gate to the Academy. Over and over she tried but it was useless. Leo laid a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from trying again.

"I'll go get your sisters" he said.

"Leo..." she started.

"I know, hurry" he said.

Leo Orbed in the family room and found Paige, Phoebe, and Wyatt playing with blocks. "It's a disaster there. Ludlow has Oliver".


	6. There's Passion

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed

Title: Where There's Smoke

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Six: There's Passion

"Let's go then" Phoebe said, standing up from the floor.

"Umm, what about Wyatt?" Paige asked picking up the toddler.

"Piper's gonna kill us, but I think we have to take him. We can't leave him here alone. I don't think there's another choice. We've gotta go now though. Oliver's in danger" Leo said.

Leo took Wyatt from Paige and wrapped an arm around Phoebe. "Can you follow my Orb?" he asked Paige.

At her nod he Orbed out and back to the Academy. Piper raised an eyebrow when she saw Wyatt in his arms but she didn't say anything. The slightest of nods told him that she understood why he had to bring their baby.

"I can't get in, you've gotta write a spell" Piper said to Phoebe.

"Are you up to it?" Paige asked her sister.

"I think so. 'Uh, door lock, no magic block'." Phoebe said with a small smile.

"That's it?" Piper asked sarcastically.

Phoebe motioned for her sisters to join her in front of the gate.** "**Come here" she said linking arms with her sisters

"Door lock, no magic block" they said together. In the next moment the gate sparked, then glowed, then finally all light faded and the gate looked as ordinary as any other.

Piper was the first to reach the gate. She reached out to push the gate open and the gate pulsed sending an electric shock up her arm. With a muffled scream she pulled her arm back.

Phoebe pulled Piper back "honey, maybe we should go back and check the Book of Shadows again" she said.

Piper looked horrified.** "**I can't leave Oliver here" she said.

"It doesn't look like you have much of a choice" Paige said sympathetically.

They heard a yell from inside the building "No! Please, don't hurt me!" Oliver screamed.

Piper broke out of her sister's hold and stepped toward the gate. "Stand back" she warmed her family.

Piper set her teeth and tried to blow up the gate. It didn't work. Again they heard Oliver's scream from inside the building.

"No!" his voice carried across the lawn. She tried again, putting even more force into it. "Don't hurt me!" the little boy cried.

In that moment something seemed to click inside Piper. She poured all her magic into it this time and the gate blew apart, sending pieces of molten metal into the air.

Phoebe looked on in awe, "what was that?" she asked.

"I think you just saw a mother lift a car off her child" Paige supplied, referencing a fairly well known phenomenon.

Piper was off like a rocket, racing toward Oliver. Phoebe followed right on her heels.

"Paige" Leo said before the youngest sister took off too. "I have to stay out here with Wyatt, the moment you three vanquish Ludlow Orb out here and get me so I can heal Oliver alright?"

Paige nodded. "Okay now go! They'll need you in there."

Paige ran as fast as she could and caught up with her sisters. Together they found their way back to Ludlow's office. They ran through the door and found Ludlow standing over a table, upon which Oliver was laying.

"All the pain is over. Soon you will serve the Source" Ludlow told the child.

"I'm back!" Piper yelled.

Ludlow looked them over. "I paid you your bounty" he said.

"Yeah, that's not what I'm after" Piper said before trying to blow him up as she had done the gate. When it didn't work she looked at Phoebe. "Power of three spell?" she asked.

Phoebe pulled a sheet of paper from her back pocket and held it in front of her sisters to that they could all see. As one they began to speak.

"The brittle winter gives way to flowers of spring, Ludlow is vanquished" they said.

"What the hell was that?" Paige asked as Piper ran to Oliver.

"It was a Haiku. I couldn't do the rhyming thing" Phoebe said with a shrug. Paige shook her head and Orbed out to get Leo.

When she made it back outside she didn't even stop to talk. The moment her feet hit the ground she reached out and placed a hand on both Wyatt and Leo before Orbing them all into Ludlow's office.

Piper looked up when they appeared in the room "Leo, he's frozen" she said with tears brimming in her eyes.

"I got him" Leo said passing Wyatt to Paige and placing his hands over Oliver.

Piper was stroking Oliver's hair as Leo worked on him. After a few moments she exclaimed "he's starting to warm up".

Slowly the ice started to melt off the boy's body. "He's gonna make it. Let's get back home" Leo said. He picked Oliver up in his arms and transferred the boy to one hip, leaving an arm free to wrap around Piper.

"Can you take both Wyatt and Phoebe?" Leo asked.

"Of course. We'll be right behind you. Don't worry" Paige said with a smile. Leo nodded and Orbed to the manor.

Both Leo and Paige Orbed into the family room with their passengers. Leo laid Oliver down on the sofa and Paige put Wyatt down on his feet. Wyatt ran over to Oliver and touched the boys arm. They watched as Wyatt's hand glowed the same healing glow his father's hands took on when Leo was fixing someone.

"Wyatt, I'm very glad that you want to help Oliver, but he's already fixed. He just needs to rest now" Piper said, before trying to pull Wyatt away from Oliver. As Wyatt's hand left Oliver's arm the five year old woke up with a start. Wyatt grinned up at his mother and left the 'I told you so' unsaid.

Oliver sat up from the sofa and stood taking Wyatt's hand.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where you two going?" Piper asked.

"To play video games" Oliver answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ah" Piper said as the two boys made their escape.

"Still wanna have another baby?" Leo asked pulling his wife into an embrace

"Mm-hmm, I'm just not ready for an adolescent yet" Piper said smiling up at Leo.

"Well how about a five year old?" Leo asked.

"Really?" Piper questioned.

Leo nodded and leaned his head down for a quick kiss.

"I think I can manage a five year old" Piper said as they broke their kiss.

"You know what? When this all started I was so focused on how I was going to guide him, then he ended up guiding me" Piper said with a smile.

"How?" Leo asked.

"Well, you know how I was upset with Grams for binding our powers, leaving us unprepared for our magical future?" Piper asked.

Leo smiled, "you mentioned it once or twice".

"Well, now I see the wisdom in her decision. I mean, she realized someday we were gonna have to battle demons. But she also realized that children shouldn't live in fear. The need to feel safe, and explore, and learn and grow. I still think magic is a gift, but I realize, at least in her mind, Grams gave us the greatest gift of all. A normal childhood, the gift of innocence" Piper said.

"So you want to bind their powers now?" Leo clarified.

"No, I still don't but I don't feel any resentment for what Grams did anymore. I think that if in a couple years Oliver, or Wyatt, or any other child we have, comes to me and asks for their powers to be bound that I'll do it. But I will not make that decision for any child of mine. Neither will I let them make an uninformed decision. You saw how quickly Oliver learned to control his power, with even just a little bit of guidance. And Wyatt's already got his powers controlled for the most part. Raising a child with magic can be done, and if we get to keep Oliver then we'll be seeing even more magic than before, and I for one am pretty happy about that".

"I couldn't agree more".

**AN: I'm not sure what's happening when I upload but I've noticed some sentances are posted as bold, when in my word doc. They aren't. I've fixed it now, I just wanted to let people know that it wasn't done on purpose to add effect or anything. **


	7. There's Oliver

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed

Title: Where There's Smoke

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Seven: There's Oliver

Six months later and Oliver James was Oliver James Halliwell. Leo and Piper had quickly decided to adopt the boy and because of Paige's position at Child Services and with a little bit of magic, Oliver's adoption was processed quickly and the boy was soon a legal member of the Halliwell brood.

Leo and Piper had come to the joint decision to leave the children's powers intact instead of binding them and so far it had worked out well. Occasionally Oliver would set something on fire, or Wyatt would steal a toy from across the room but by far the benefits outweighed the risk. Being the children of a Charmed One meant that barely a week could go by without an attack of some kind on the boys. Knowing that the boys both had powers that they could use to protect themselves was the only way Piper and Leo could sleep at night.

Wyatt was still a little young for any sort of formal training in the use of his powers but they were able to teach Oliver and him some simple tricks. Wyatt of course had his force field, and Oliver his flames, but it seemed with every passing day the boys would exhibit some new power. The explanation for Wyatt's abundance of powers was obvious, he was the oldest child, of the oldest living Charmed One, but Oliver's past was unknown, this lead to quite a few surprises.

From his own account he was an orphan, both parents having died when he was four years old. Paige was able to confirm that fact, but neither she nor Oliver had been able to say whether they had been magical or not. One of them had to be for Oliver to have the powers he had, and judging by the amount he had, Piper was willing to bet that both of the boy's parents had been witches.

So far Oliver had the Firestarter gift as well as telekinesis, conjuring, spell casting, and scrying. The most surprising power was yet to come though.

"Ollie!" Wyatt yelled as he raced across the foyer to meet his brother at the front door. "You home! School's too long" the two and a half year old complained as he crashed into his brother wrapping his small arms around the other boy.

"Wyatt! I missed you!" Oliver said in the same excited tone, hugging the young boy back. Piper smiled at the boys' interaction as she placed her bag on the table. She had just gotten back from picking Oliver up from his half day Kindergarten. Oliver and Wyatt had been apart for all of four hours and still they greeted one another as if they'd been apart for years.

"Look at I can do!" Wyatt exclaimed before Orbing his favorite bear, Wuvey, to him.

"That's so cool Wye! Let me try" Oliver said reaching out a hand just like Wyatt had. Just as Piper was about to tell him he wouldn't be able to Orb because he didn't have Whitelighter powers, Wuvey was turned into dark Orbs and they flew to Oliver's outstretched arms before condensing back into the well loved toy.

Piper felt her throat tighten with pain at holding back her tears…

Her son, the little boy she loved, was a Darklighter.

"You can do it too!" Wyatt cheered, "just like me and Daddy" Wyatt continued.

Both boys turned and looked at Piper with huge grins on their faces. "Wow, that's so cool guys" she managed. "Why don't you two go upstairs to your room and play for a little bit. I've gotta call your dad and ask him a question. Alright?"

"Okay Mama" Oliver said with a smile, shrugging his child sized backpack off his slim shoulders and onto the floor. Before they ran upstairs both boys gave her a hug. She gripped Oliver extra tight, Darklighter or not, this child was still hers.

When she was sure they were both out of earshot upstairs she called for her husband.

"Leo! Leo, hurry I need you" she said to the air around her, knowing that he would hear it no matter how far away he was. "It's about Oliver" she added. In the next moment Leo was standing in front of her.

"What about Oliver?" he asked in a panic. "Is he hurt? Is he okay?" Leo asked in a rush, grapping onto Piper's upper arms.

"He fine" Piper said. "Wyatt and he both discover a new power today. They can Orb objects… both of them can. Leo, Oliver's the son of a Darklighter. His Orbs, they were black. I didn't even know that it was possible Leo. I mean are Darklighters allowed to… do it with mortals?" Piper asked.

Leo looked stunned to say the least. "He's a Darklighter?" Leo asked him a low voice. His son, his little boy, was the one thing that could kill him. The one thing that all Whitelighter's were taught to fear.

"No… I mean, I suppose he's the same as Wyatt, neither one of them are truly Whitelighter or Darklighter, they're both half 'Lighter and half witch. We know that Oliver is a witch because he can cast spells so that means he can't be a full Darklighter right?" Piper asked pulling out of Leo's hold and taking his hand instead.

Leo nodded absently as he digested the information. "There are a few different types of Darklighter's. There are Trackers and Spirit Killers but there is also a third type of Darklighter. One whose only real mission is to seduce mortals and impregnate them, thus bringing the next generation of Darklighter's into the world. I suppose one of them mistook Oliver's mom for an innocent and got her pregnant, not knowing she was a witch" Leo explained. "It certainly explains a whole lot" Leo grinned.

"You're okay with this?" Piper asked hopefully.

"Of course Piper. It was a shock to say the least but it doesn't change anything. He's still the same boy he was yesterday, he hasn't changed. We just got to know him a little better, that's all" Leo said with a smile.

"I'm so glad to hear you say that" Piper grinned. "I might've had to kick you out if you disagreed" she joked.

Leo laughed along with her before asking, "so you want to tell him or should I?"

Thirteen Years Later

"Wyatt get down" eighteen year old Oliver yelled to his little brother. Wyatt immediately followed the instruction, an energy ball soaring through the air, flying straight through the space where Wyatt's head had been just seconds before.

"Thanks" Wyatt said with a grin before sending the demon flying. Oliver pulled the potion out of his pocket and tossed it to Chris.

"You want to do the honors?" he asked the thirteen year old as the younger boy caught the vial.

"Of course!" Chris said with a grin. He threw the vial at the demon who was still struggling to collect himself after Wyatt had thrown him into a wall. The small bottle exploded on impact, sending bits of demon flying into the air surrounding the three brothers.

Wyatt who had been standing closest to the exploding demon was covered in demon goo. Oliver and Chris laughed at the sight of their fifteen year old brother.

"Mom's gonna kill you for ruining your good pants" Chris taunted.

"Me? Whose idea was it to go demon hunting on the way home?" Wyatt asked accusingly while looking at his older brother.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't go trying to make this my fault. Chris is the one who threw the potion" Oliver defended himself while placing the blame squarely his youngest brothers' small shoulders. "Besides," he followed up, "mom will go easiest on him."

Christ opened his mouth to object, but shut it after a moment when he realized it was true. "Alright, I'll take the blame. Let's just go home okay?" he asked.

Oliver nodded and grinned. "Race you there" he said, taking off in the blur of dark Orbs. Wyatt and then Chris followed suit in their own lighter shade of Orbs.

"Mom we're home" Oliver yelled as he came to rest in the family room of the Manor.

Piper came into the room just as Wyatt and Chris arrived. She immediately noticed the demon parts on Wyatt and frowned.

"Boys, not again. What have I told you about demon hunting without permission?" she asked rhetorically.

The boys did their best to look ashamed but even with all their powers they couldn't pull it off. Piper too tried to hide her grin. When she knew she couldn't any longer she told the boys to go upstairs and clean up.

"Your dad will be home in a little bit and then we'll eat" she said as the three boys walked up the staircase.

She watched as her sons went upstairs and smiled to herself. Their life was crazy, hectic, dangerous, and she wouldn't change it for anything.

**AN: okay folks, I think this is the end of the road. There's definitely room for a sequel but to be honest I can't see myself writing one in the near future. You never know though, it could happen. Review please and let me know what you think.**


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